Despite his busy release schedule, Jim Lauderdale seems incapable of making an album that isn't heartfelt, well crafted, and thoroughly engaging, and Time Flies is further proof that he's making some of the best country music in the 2010s.

Swimming is ample evidence that Miller can pick up the pieces and continue evolving, his grasp on thoughtful, introspective hip-hop getting stronger by the album.

More a gentle expansion than a reformulation, The Mighty Thread should appeal to established fans and other daydreamers.

it's a record that reflects how James always swing for the fences. As such, the album can be a little exhausting for those who aren't true believers--there is plenty going on in the songs and productions but no direct way inside--but can prove to be fascinating for the dedicated sort who choose immersion over skimming.

Qualm generally shifts away from the Drexciyan melodies of Discreet Desires, but it's just as precisely focused as that album, and anyone who has enjoyed her prior recordings or Hauff's unrelenting DJ sets should enjoy this one as well.

Here, he winds up finding depth within his signature mellow good times, and the result is one of Chesney's best records: it goes down smooth yet lingers in the memory long after its gone.

With Palo Santo, Years & Years have crafted an album that pulses with that richness.

The feelings of yearning, sadness, and grief expressed through these songs aren't beholden to any genre or time period, and the album sounds fresh and poignant regardless of when its songs were written or recorded. Gate of Grief easily fulfills the promise of White Ring's earlier efforts.

Four albums in and Halestorm appear to have officially hit their stride.

Scaling back from the expansive horizons of 2015's T-Bone Burnett-produced The Phosphorescent Blues, Punch Brothers may sound intimate on 2018's All Ashore, but they haven't lost their ambition.

Phantastic Ferniture shares a certain retro spirit and thoughtfulness with Jacklin's work as a singer/songwriter, even though others are involved in the writing here, and even when it's trying not to think too much.

It may lack some of the bite of his best work with his previous project Ovens and his early solo releases, but it's nice to follow his career as he grows and experiments (gently) with new sounds and a new-ish approach, while still delivering songs that are super-hooky and flat-out nice to listen to.

A diverting if inconsequential EP filled with a lot of flippant humor and a little serious reflection.

The Morning Star is at once brave and solitary, gentle and bracing, provocative and spiritually resonant. It extends Bachman's reach, allowing him to paint the innermost dimensions of the world he perceives and cleave it open for light to flood in and illuminate it for us.

While DJ-Kicks doesn't quite have as much personality as those prior releases, particularly Time Spent Away from U, the mix proves that Seinfeld isn't interested in being pegged as a one-trick pony, and that his scope is rapidly expanding.

Family Portrait is an uncommonly original album, keeping listeners guessing while making a significant, sometimes unexpected emotional impact.

The Sciences may not be as daring and ambitious as Dopesmoker, but it finds Sleep working at the top of their game in the studio, and their resinous howl is still a weird marvel to behold. If you're looking for a king-size dose of heavy, The Sciences is what you need.

It's also a sonic master class in marital counseling and commitment, wherein Beyoncé emerges with the upper hand and a contrite Jay is lucky she's so gracious. Vocally, it's a similar story: Beyoncé shines here, balancing light rap verses ("Apeshit" and "Nice") with some of the prettiest vocals she's recorded in years ("Friends"), while Jay offers his standard braggadocious bars that nonetheless make an impact for their occasional honesty and humility.

The record is a little shaky, but it's to the band's benefit that they retain a desire to not be so serious. At those moments, the Vaccines deliver some rock & roll spark.

Powell tends to overwhelm on the suite of Ziggy Stardust numbers, painting everything with swathes of synths--but the performance is invigorating even with its flaws.

Winslow-King's accompanists on Blue Mesa deliver strong work that complements the songs beautifully, especially guitarist Roberto Luti, keyboard man Mike Lynch, and drummer Chris Davis. Blue Mesa may find Luke Winslow-King going through some changes, but the result is some of his very best music to date.

Ovlov started strong with Am; with TRU they have made good on all that promise and released the kind of breathtakingly great record most bands can only dream about making.

His harmonic components (his solos, chord voicings, and overall soundscapes) are all improvised and worked out in the studio. Ultimately, what could sound like average contemporary jazz fluff, in Kiefer's hands sounds instead like the liquid dreams of jazz-funk aliens.

The best songs on Back Roads and Abandoned Motels are a lovely reminder of what the Jayhawks have been doing so well for over 30 years, and if this album might make one wonder if Gary Louris is running low on songwriting ideas, he still leads a band to be reckoned with.

In hindsight, it's possible to hear some of the profound loneliness of Liars' next album TFCF and the disorienting washes of Hemphill's subsequent work as Nonpareils in this score, and for that reason alone, 1/1 is more than just a commissioned work--as much as any one release from this band could, it sums up their approach and points the way forward.

A welcome return, Across the Meridian reaffirms that music is a little weirder and a lot more wonderful with Pram back in it--it's as if they spent the past decade globe-trotting a world of their own and returned with these brilliant vignettes as souvenirs for their listeners.

A few judicious cuts here and there and it would have been a very strong extended play instead of an uneven album that doesn't quite reach the level the duo attained on Hair. It's still worth checking out for fans either artist though, especially if their eccentric natures are their main attraction.

Evidently remaining under no pressure to assimilate with commercial R&B or even commit to traditional song structures, the musicians whip up another mixture of loose dance grooves and languid ballads. The effect is only a shade less stimulating than that of their previous LP.